It’s always about proving our worth. That’s often the bottom line, isn’t it? Whether you’re trying to justify why you should keep your job, why you should get a raise, or why your department needs to hire more people, setting up metrics and measurements is about trying to prove why things are going well. Measurement has always been a challenging question for marketing, public relations and communications professionals. Recent studies indicate that only about one-fifth of marketers feel they are successful at measurement. As times and technology change, it’s a good time to revisit the question once again.
Define What’s Important To Measure
Metrics abound when it comes to measuring communication program effectiveness. You can measure clicks, leads, sales, shares and so forth. However, only certain metrics are reasonably tied to particular programs and efforts. Start by looking at your business goals and then creating reasonable marketing or communications goals that will support them.
See Where You Are Starting
You can never tell where you’ve gone if you don’t know where you started. If you determine that you want to raise awareness of a brand name, conduct a benchmark survey with a statistically valid sample determining how much brand awareness you already have. Then, set a time-frame during which your campaign will run, and conduct a post-campaign survey to see if the program accomplished its goal of raising awareness.
Agree on Clear Goals
Avoid vaguely worded goals such as “increase visibility.” Instead, set measurable improvements such as “increase the number of e-mail subscribers by 10 percent over six months.” By being very specific, everyone on the team will not only know what to expect but what goal they are striving for.
Use Results to Improve Programs
It’s often better to set smaller benchmarks at various points of a campaign to help you better steer your way. After all, you don’t want to hang all your bets on one major goal and find out at the end of a $100,000 campaign that you failed to reach the objective. Instead, think of your metrics as a way to take little quizzes along the way to make sure you’re on the right path.
Take a Lesson from Google
As technology continues to develop, don’t forget to see what the professionals are measuring in terms of content performance. Take note and work to measure your content in the same manner. Often, the success of content has to do with consumption, sharing, lead generation and sales.
Find out more about metrics, measurement and public relations in Las Vegas. GYC Vegas, a Las Vegas PR firm company, brings years of experience to its clients in a wide variety of industries. Contact her learn more about establishing great metrics that can help you prove your worth.